Ms MANISON - 2015-04-28
Since last year the CLP government has cut primary education by $12m. This has resulted in fewer teachers, bigger classes and less support for our kids. Given that education is the key to unlocking the potential of Territory kids, why is investing in these crucial areas such a low priority for you?
ANSWER
Mr Deputy Speaker, that was a very silly question. To be fair, the opposition has only just seen the budget papers. I am sure they have not had the time to look through those budget papers to better understand the situation.
I say again, we are investing $1.012bn in education this year. The school system is completely different today to what it was when we inherited it from Labor only three short years ago ...
Ms Walker: Yes, it is a lot worse off.
Mr CHANDLER: No, it is not worse off, member for Nhulunbuy. We are getting better results today than we ever saw under the former Labor government. More money is going into education. We are giving control back to schools instead of a bloated bureaucracy we had with the former Labor government. We had a centralised system that Labor loved. They do not want people at the coalface making decisions; they want to control everything. That is the way the former Education department operated.
Today decisions are being made at the school level, as they should be. Global budgeting gives schools control. A number of schools have taken the path of an independent status, giving them more control to focus on delivering better student outcomes. That is where it should be, and not based on how many bureaucrats we have sitting in a department. We could choose to have 19 more senior bureaucrats in the Department of Education, meaning 19 more executive cars …
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The budget books show there is $368m for primary education, $356m this year. Why is education not a priority to this government?
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Wanguri, thank you. Minister, if you would come to the question in the remaining 60 seconds please.
Mr CHANDLER: I am happy to, Mr Deputy Speaker. I say again that $1.012bn is more money than the former Labor government ever put into education. You just want to talk money, but what is more important is how that money is used to deliver better results and give control back to parents, teachers and principals in our schools.
There will be a number of schools next year wanting independent status. Why? Because they have more control. They are not controlled by bureaucrats …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113. The question did not go to control, it went to the $12m that has been cut from primary education. Will you answer the question?
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you, Opposition Leader. Minister, please continue.
Mr CHANDLER: I just said the budget has grown this year; it has grown by $65.7m compared to last year. That is more money to invest in the education system and infrastructure. The system we inherited is very different to the system it is today. It is a far more efficient than the one we had previously, and it is delivering better results than we have ever had before.
ANSWER
Mr Deputy Speaker, that was a very silly question. To be fair, the opposition has only just seen the budget papers. I am sure they have not had the time to look through those budget papers to better understand the situation.
I say again, we are investing $1.012bn in education this year. The school system is completely different today to what it was when we inherited it from Labor only three short years ago ...
Ms Walker: Yes, it is a lot worse off.
Mr CHANDLER: No, it is not worse off, member for Nhulunbuy. We are getting better results today than we ever saw under the former Labor government. More money is going into education. We are giving control back to schools instead of a bloated bureaucracy we had with the former Labor government. We had a centralised system that Labor loved. They do not want people at the coalface making decisions; they want to control everything. That is the way the former Education department operated.
Today decisions are being made at the school level, as they should be. Global budgeting gives schools control. A number of schools have taken the path of an independent status, giving them more control to focus on delivering better student outcomes. That is where it should be, and not based on how many bureaucrats we have sitting in a department. We could choose to have 19 more senior bureaucrats in the Department of Education, meaning 19 more executive cars …
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The budget books show there is $368m for primary education, $356m this year. Why is education not a priority to this government?
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Wanguri, thank you. Minister, if you would come to the question in the remaining 60 seconds please.
Mr CHANDLER: I am happy to, Mr Deputy Speaker. I say again that $1.012bn is more money than the former Labor government ever put into education. You just want to talk money, but what is more important is how that money is used to deliver better results and give control back to parents, teachers and principals in our schools.
There will be a number of schools next year wanting independent status. Why? Because they have more control. They are not controlled by bureaucrats …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113. The question did not go to control, it went to the $12m that has been cut from primary education. Will you answer the question?
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you, Opposition Leader. Minister, please continue.
Mr CHANDLER: I just said the budget has grown this year; it has grown by $65.7m compared to last year. That is more money to invest in the education system and infrastructure. The system we inherited is very different to the system it is today. It is a far more efficient than the one we had previously, and it is delivering better results than we have ever had before.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016